Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country and pop hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me", and "England Swings", all from the mid-1960s Nashville sound era. After growing up in Oklahoma and serving in the United States Army, Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, writing such hits as "Billy Bayou" and "Home" for Jim Reeves and "Invitation to the Blues" for Ray Price. He later began a recording career and reached the peak of his fame in the mid-1960s, continuing to record and tour into the 1990s, charting his final top 20 country hit "Old Friends" with Price and Willie Nelson in 1982. He also wrote and performed several of the songs for the 1973 Disney animated film Robin Hood. Later in his life, he wrote the music and lyrics for the 1985 Tony Award−winning Broadway musical Big River, in which he acted. Miller died from lung cancer in 1992 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. His songs continued to be recorded by other singers, with covers of "Tall, Tall Trees" by Alan Jackson and "Husbands and Wives" by Brooks & Dunn; both reached the number one spot on country charts in the 1990s. The Roger Miller Museum — now closed — in his home town of Erick, Oklahoma, was a tribute to Miller. |
Birth and Death Data: Born January 2, 1936 (Fort Worth), Died October 25, 1992 (Los Angeles)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1945 - 1959
Roles Represented in DAHR: trombone, vocalist, guitar
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 73123 | 10-in. | 11/6/1945 | Between the desert and me | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | ||
Decca | 73124 | 10-in. | 11/6/1945 | I want to go to Texas when I die | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | ||
Decca | 73341 | 2/4/1946 | In a shanty in old shanty town | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | 73342 | 2/4/1946 | Blue skies | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | 73379 | 2/18/1946 | When I grow too old to dream | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | 73380 | 2/18/1946 | It's a sin to tell a lie | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | NA 10443 | 10/29/1958 | Mine is a lonely life-1 | Justin Tubb | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |||
Decca | NA 10444 | 10/29/1958 | Almost lonely | Justin Tubb | instrumentalist, guitar | |||
Decca | NA 10445 | 10/29/1958 | Giveaway girl | Justin Tubb | instrumentalist, guitar | |||
Decca | NA 10446 | 10/29/1958 | Heart's command | Justin Tubb | instrumentalist, guitar | |||
Decca | NA 10524 | 12/13/1958 | A man like me | Roger Miller | vocalist | |||
Decca | NA 10525 | 12/13/1958 | The wrong kind of girl | Roger Miller | vocalist | |||
Decca | NA 10693 | 4/16/1959 | Buster's gang | Justin Tubb | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |||
Decca | NA 10694 | 4/16/1959 | I wish I could love that much | Justin Tubb | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |||
Decca | NA 10695 | 4/16/1959 | I know you do | Justin Tubb | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |||
Decca | NA 10787 | 6/30/1959 | Sweet Ramona | Roger Miller | vocalist | |||
Decca | NA 10788 | 6/30/1959 | Jason Fleming | Roger Miller | vocalist | |||
Decca | N 3783 | 10-in. | 11/20/1945 | In the middle of May | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | ||
Decca | N 3784 | 10-in. | 11/20/1945 | If I had a dozen hearts | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | ||
Decca | N 3785 | 10-in. | 11/20/1945 | The desert and me | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | ||
Decca | N 3786 | 10-in. | 11/20/1945 | I want to go to Texas when I die | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | ||
Decca | N 3787 | 10-in. | 11/20/1945 | Live it up | Johnny Long Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Miller, Roger," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/206831.
Miller, Roger. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/206831.
"Miller, Roger." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Roger Miller
Discogs: Roger Miller
Allmusic: Roger Miller
Grove: Roger Miller
IMDb: Roger Miller
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Miller, Roger, 1936-1992 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85173065
Wikidata: Roger Miller - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q712359
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/112431543
MusicBrainz: Roger Miller - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/102045e3-577c-4b10-b01b-424b7e461094
ISNI: 0000 0001 1580 4202 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000115804202
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